Schedule announced for Juneteenth festival and parade in Rochester
Juneteenth parade in Rochester (WHEC file photo)
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Greater Rochester Martin Luther King Jr. Commission has announced this year’s plans for celebrating Juneteenth.
The 10th annual Juneteenth Festival will take place on Saturday, June 15 with a parade, festival, and activities. The federal holiday Juneteenth commemorates freedom from slavery.
The Juneteenth parade will begin at 10 a.m. and the free festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park. Last year, over 4,000 people attended the festival. This year’s theme of the festival will be “From 1964 to 2024: 60 Years in the Fight for Justice in Rochester.”
The festival will feature local and national artists, the Elders’ Circle Tribute, the Youth Black Scholars Recognition, Teen Empowerment Youth Poets, and vendors. You can learn how to become a vendor or sponsor here. There will be free admission at the Strong National Museum of Play on June 15.
Days before the festival, on June 8, the MLK Commission will organize a rally to mark 60 years since the July 1964 Rochester Uprising. It will take place at the Mt. Vernon Missionary Baptist Church on 351 Joseph Ave. from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.